The present disclosure relates to a fibrous nonwoven structure comprising at least one meltblown fibrous material and at least one secondary fibrous material and a method for making a fibrous nonwoven structure, wherein the nonwoven structure has improved physical characteristics.
Fibrous nonwoven structures are widely used as products or as components of products because they can be manufactured inexpensively and can be made to have specific characteristics.
Fibrous nonwoven structures can be used in a wide variety of applications including absorbent media for aqueous and organic fluids, filtration media for wet and dry applications, insulating materials, protective cushioning materials, containment and delivery systems and wiping media for both wet and dry applications, and particularly for baby wipes. Many of the foregoing applications can be met, to varying degrees, through the use of more simplified structures such as absorbent structures wherein only wood pulp fibers are used. This has commonly been the case with, for example, the absorbent cores of personal care absorbent products such as diapers. Wood pulp fibers when formed by themselves tend to yield nonwoven web structures which have very little mechanical integrity and a high degree of collapse when wetted. The advent of fibrous nonwoven structures which incorporated thermoplastic meltblown fibrous materials, even in small quantities, greatly enhanced the properties of such structures including both wet and dry tensile strength. The same enhancements were also seen with the use of fibrous nonwoven structures for wiping sheets.
However, the current nonwoven fibrous structures can be improved. Physical characteristics such as formation, size of fibers, anisotropy, tensile strength and the amount of lint can be improved by enhancing the manufacturing process. In particular, these characteristics are useful for nonwoven fibrous structures for use as a wet wipe. Additionally there is a need for a fibrous nonwoven structure produced at lower basis weights with improved physical characteristics. Such a manufacturing process will be much more efficient and less expensive.